Platform: iOS, Android

A chieftain does what they have to do to take care of their people. They kill sabertooth tigers to protect them, they cross vast deserts in search of a more promising land and, yes, they'll even play match-3/strategymobile hybrid games, just as you do in BonusXP's Cavemania. Lead your people through 75 levels toward victory where times will be peaceful and resources plentiful. And that's a whole lot better than killing a vicious Dilophosaur for your next meal.

The game mechanics are intuitive: drag any non-building tile with another to swap their positions and create three or more in a row. Whatever kind of object was matched is added to your resources, which can then be used to construct buildings or add other tribe members to the board to aid you in your goals. And this is where the strategy portion of the game comes into play. All tribe members, including the chief, as well as the buildings and enemies, take up valuable space on the board. This can sometimes block you from making a match you may so desperately need.

What Cavemania does well in its design is force you to look carefully at your goals and how your board is setup, a good quality in a turn-based strategy game. Of course, the random nature of the match-3 board can create a situation where no amount of planning will give you a victory, but with a three star reward system, you'll likely be replaying levels anyway. Cavemania is a free mobile app with non-intrusive in-app purchases that's sure to give you several afternoons of prehistoric fun.

Cavemania

(iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)

Cavemania

(Android, Android Tablet)

Cavemania

(Android, Android Tablet, Kindle Fire)

NOTE: This game was played and reviewed on the Droid Razr. Game was available in the North American market at the time of publication, but may not be available in other territories. Please see individual app market pages for purchasing info.

3 Comments

The gameplay is rather good, but it's a limited-turn game... ok, fair enough. Other games have used this model and it's worked out, like Towncraft. However, the price of the upgrades is insane! There's no pay-for-unlimited-turns option either. I may install it and play it from time to time, but just the idea that they want so much money for trivial upgrades turns me off.

Hi Michael - I work at BonusXP, the company that developed Cavemania. I just wanted to clarify - it sounds like you're under the impression that the upgrades in the game cost a lot of real world money. The gold currency used for upgrades is awarded to players for completing levels, so you don't need to spend actual money to upgrade your characters.

Thanks for replying! After playing the game more, I realize I was a bit harsh with my initial review, as the gameplay is quite good, and it is fully playable without paying for premium options.

I was not discussing the in-game gold, I'm discussing the permanent upgrades. $10 for one bonus turn a game? $5 for adding one to the number of max crystals, or adding one to the number of maximum lives? $3 to start each game with one single crystal? Far too much money for trivial upgrades that add no additional content and questionable enhancement to the gaming experience.

I understand that this is the way the industry is going, unfortunately, so you're not alone.

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